Michigan Ag Expo Transition

After much thought and consideration, we have decided to transition Michigan Ag Expo to a series of educational days held at various times during the year, therefore we will not hold the event traditionally known as Ag Expo in mid-July.

December 30, 2014

After much thought and consideration, we have decided to transition Michigan Ag Expo to a series of educational days held at various times during the year, therefore we will not hold the event traditionally known as Ag Expo in mid-July. This change was not an easy decision, and was made only after consultation with many vendors, industry groups and commodity association leaders.

We all agree that Michigan agriculture producers would be better served by more specialized educational events held throughout the year. This gives us an opportunity to hone in on the specific needs of the vastly different types of commodities, crops and livestock grown in Michigan.

In addition to the educational events that we already manage, participate in and/or plan, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and MSU Extension plan to develop up to three educational days that will feature content for specific grower groups. These educational days will be more in line with the university’s mission and vision and the needs of Michigan’s farmers. They will focus on cutting edge technology and the latest science-based information, and will be planned using farmer-stakeholder input. Details will be determined over the next several months in hopes of having the first educational day in late 2015.

The CANR, AgBioResearch and MSU Extension also plan to continue to engage stakeholders and legislators with an event similar to the VIP Breakfast traditionally held just prior to the opening of Ag Expo.

If you would like to receive information about MSU Extension educational days or other educational sessions and a future VIP stakeholder event, please complete information requested here: http://events.anr.msu.edu/expolist/

Vendors who have submitted deposits for the 2015 show will receive a refund by Feb. 1, 2015. All contracts will be voided. MSU Land Management is reviewing the contracts for those companies that have buildings on site and we will be contacting you directly in the next few weeks to discuss options for your structure(s).

Please contact me or Megghan Honke at honkemeg@msu.edu or 517-884-7089 if you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the new opportunities the CANR will offer in the future. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with industry.

Sincerely, Fred Poston

Dean, College of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesMichigan State University